Page 1889 - Politics
Opposition parties join hands at Mamata rally, vow to oust Modi
Leaders from over a dozen opposition parties came together Saturday, vowing at a mega rally here to put up a united fight in the coming Lok Sabha elections and oust Prime Minister Narendra Modi from power. Over 20 leaders, including two from the Congress, attended the show of unity organised by Trinamool Congress leader and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. "The BJP government has crossed its expiry date, she said. The leaders called for putting the differences between the parties aside, and said they can decide on issue of prime minister's post after the elections. Some suggested that the opposition should aim at putting up a joint candidate against the BJP nominee in every constituency. They also decided to hold more joint rallies ahead of the elections, which are to be held by May. The next public meetings will be in New Delhi and Andhra Pradesh capital Amravati. The two top Congress leaders, party president Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, skipped the ...
BJP government at Centre has reached expiry date, says WB Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre has reached its expiry date and that new dawn with the BJP getting out of power is on the horizon.Addressing a rally here at Brigade Parade Ground, the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo raised anti-BJP slogans like 'BJP Hatao' (remove the BJP) and said that the rally marked the "beginning of the end" of the party."The land of Bengal is holy. It led the way for the freedom movement, the cultural movement, the new awakening. Whenever there is trouble in the country, Bengal has shown the way. So why are we letting those people, who are trying to destroy India, stay in power? We haven't seen such fascist governance. They are like Hitler, Mussolini," she said."BJP government has done in four and a half years what Pakistan couldn't do in 70 years. They have destroyed all government institutions. They are promoting the politics of hatred. The banks and the ...
Taliban refute peace talks with US in Pakistan
The Taliban on Saturday refuted reports about their joining the second round of meeting with officials from the United States and Pakistan over Afghanistan peace and reconciliation process here in near future.In a press statement released here, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid was quoted as saying, "We want to make it clear that we will not hold any meeting with Zalmay Khalilzad in Islamabad."The decision to hold further talks with the Taliban was taken on Friday during an official meeting between the United States Special Representative for Afghanistan reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, whereby Khalilzad stated that the Taliban were reluctant to meet the Afghan government and announce a ceasefire, Geo News reported.Sources further confirmed Geo News that Pakistan had extended an invitation to attend to hold talks on the Afghan peace process in Islamabad. Pakistan Foreign Minister further promised Khalilzad that his government would ...
Kashmiri Pandits pledge return to Valley, ask Centre to take initiative
Many people from the Kashmiri Pandit community in the national capital, which was forced to flee the Kashmir Valley three decades ago, today pledged to return to their homeland and requested support from the Centre for the same.Many Kashmiri Pandits including women and young children donned black headbands and took an oath to return during a silent protest at Raj Ghat here. The event was organised in memory of January 19, 1990, which they call 'Exodus Day' as it marked the exodus of the community from the Valley in the wake of an outbreak of terrorism.Suman Koul, a Kashmiri Pandit told ANI: "We are having a silent protest here with a black band on our head because we consider this day as black day." She requested the government to help them in going back to their homes in the valley.Around 5 Lakh Kashmiri Pandits were forced to leave the Valley after January 19, 1990 as they were a target of extremist attacks.Another Kashmiri Pandit Vanshika Bhatt told ANI," I haven't seen my Kashmir .
Rahul raking up Rafale because Michel spilling beans on AgustaWestland: BJP
The Congress is raking the Rafale issue because arrested middleman in the AgustaWestand deal Christen Michel is spilling the beans on the VVIP chopper scam, BJP national spokesperson Syed Shahnawaz Hussain said on Saturday.
Rahul's Shakti project launched in Punjab
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Saturday launched Congress president Rahul Gandhi's flagship 'Shakti' project to galvanise party workers in the state ahead of the Lok Sabha election due by May. According to the party, people can join the 'Shakti' project by sending an SMS, mentioning their voter ID number in the message box and they would be registered. The project also aims to connect Congress workers digitally with Gandhi. It said the project's success was reflected in the party's win in the assembly polls in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. Chief Minister Singh asked party workers to make optimum use of this messaging system to target voters at the grassroots level, according to a Congress party release. He said the project would help in providing feedback to the Congress leadership about party affairs and electoral prospects.
Ace TT player Manika Batra to attend National Voters' Day event in Delhi on Jan 25
Ace table tennis player and Commonwealth medallist Manika Batra will participate in a programme here on January 25 to raise awareness on voting ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, officials said. Batra has been chosen as an ambassador by the office of the Delhi chief electoral officer (CEO) and the event marking National Voters' Day will also see hosting of street plays and felicitation of polling officials. "She has been chosen to spread awareness on voting in Delhi ahead of the general election and on January 25, she will attend the event hosted on the campus of the CEO office," a senior official told PTI. He said, a proposal has been sent to cricketer Rishabh Pant to have him on board as another brand ambassador for spreading awareness on voting in the capital city. The CEO office Friday released the final electoral roll ahead of the 2019 general elections, which stands at 1,36,95,291, which is 0.87 per cent less than the total number of electors in the last electoral roll, 1,38,14,866, .
BJP treating legislators like commodities: Kumaraswamy
Assailing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for trying to poach his party's MLAs by offering "huge amounts of cash", Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumarasawmy on Saturday said legislators were being treated as commodities.
Shatrughan joins opposition leaders at Kolkata rally, says not afraid if BJP removes him
Sharing the stage with opposition leaders in Kolkata, disgruntled BJP leader Shatrughan Sinha Saturday called for changing the government in the 2019 Lok Sabha election and said he was not afraid of being removed from the ruling party. He insisted he would continue to "show mirror" to the party and call "a spade a spade". Sinha has been at odds with his party over several issues and has criticised the demonetisation exercise and the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax. He has said he was attending the rally hosted by TMC chief Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata as a representative of the Rashtra Manch, a political action group launched by former BJP leader Yashwant Sinha. "My elder brother Yashwant Sinha was saying that after this I will be definitely removed from the party, I told him 'koi baat nahi hai' (no problem)," he said at the rally attended by several opposition leaders, including from the AAP and the RJD. Known for his powerful dialogues in Hindi movies, Sinha said, "He is .
Pb Cong MLA not allowed to participate in legislators' meeting with CM
Punjab Congress MLA Kulbir Singh Zira, who had embarrassed his party after boycotting a district-level event, was not allowed to participate in a meeting of legislators chaired by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh here on Saturday. The legislator from the Zira seat, who had been suspended from the party's primary membership on the charge of indiscipline, was asked not to attend the meeting of party legislators as the matter related to his suspension was still pending, party sources said here. Amarinder Singh Saturday held a meeting with Congress legislators of Malwa region as part of pre-budget consultations with them. Earlier, the CM had held meetings with MLAs of Majha and Doaba regions in the past three days. The pre-budget meeting had been called to elicit views of MLAs on budget proposals to ensure holistic development of their respective assembly segments. Talking to reporters after the meeting on Saturday, Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar said, "Zira submitted the demands of his
Will convince ally MGP not to fight Goa bypolls: BJP leader
The Goa BJP Saturday said it would try to convince the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, an ally in the Manohar Parrikar government, to not field candidates against the party for Mandrem and Shiroda Assembly bypolls in the state. The MGP's central committee had, earlier this week, resolved to contest the bypolls for both seats. Both seats had fallen vacant after Congress MLAs Dayanand Sopte (Mandrem) and Subhash Shirodkar (Shiroda) resigned from the Assembly to join the BJP. BJP Goa unit chief Vinay Tendulkar said the party would talk to MGP president Dipak Dhavalikar on this issue. "We have already informed our central leaders about MGP's announcement to contest by-elections. Our state-level leaders will speak and if that fails, then central leaders will step in," Tendulkar said. He added that he had called Dhavalikar for a meeting but the latter was out of town. He said certain MGP leaders are pointing towards the strained relations between the Shiv Sena and the BJP in ..
BSP-SP alliance a mismatch, its leaders unreliable: Shivpal Yadav
Terming the BSP-SP alliance as a "mismatch", former Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Shivpal Yadav on Saturday alleged that the leaders of the two parties were unreliable as they both had betrayed Mulayam Singh Yadav. Shivpal Yadav, who has floated Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (PSP) after parting ways with the SP, hit out at his nephew and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, alleging that he had deceived not only his father Mulayam Singh Yadav but also the Congress party. "The BSP-SP alliance is a mismatch... their leaders Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav are unreliable as they have betrayed the SP patron Mulayam Singh Yadav," Shivpal Singh Yadav, who was here to attend a function in Sahatwar, told reporters. "After forming the government with the Samajwadi Party in 1993, the BSP had betrayed Mulayam Singh in merely 17 months ," Shivpal Yadav said recalling her association with the BJP in the past. On Akhilesh Yadav, he said that the SP president not only betrayed his father but also the Congress with ...
Many PM aspirants in mahagathbandhan, their dream won't be fulfilled: Shahnawaz
The mahagathbandhan, which is being propped against Prime Minister Narendra Modi by opposition parties, has many leaders who dream of becoming the Prime Minister but their dreams will remain unfulfilled, BJP national spokesperson Syed Shahnawaz Hussain said on Saturday.
Humorous digs against BJP evoke huge applause at Bengal rally
Opposition stalwarts from across the nation received huge applause for their repeated humorous digs at the Modi government during the anti-BJP rally at the historic Brigade Parade Ground here on Saturday.
Six civilians dead in US-led strike on IS in Syria: monitor
Four children were among at least six civilians killed in a US-led air strike on the Islamic State group's embattled enclave in eastern Syria, a monitor said on Saturday. The Friday strike on the Euphrates Valley village of Baghouz killed 10 IS fighters as well as the six civilians, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. There was no immediate comment from the US-led coalition. Baghouz is part of an enclave of less than 15 square kilometres (less than six square miles) that is all that is left of IS territory in Syria following a gruelling Kurdish-led offensive launched with coalition support last May. The Britain-based Observatory said the coalition had stepped up its air strikes against IS since the jihadists killed 19 people, four of them Americans, in a suicide bombing on a restaurant in the flashpoint northern town of Manbij on Wednesday. "The strikes are continuing, and have intensified since the Manbij attack," Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. The US losses .
Spanish police arrest 7 after Uber, Cabify cars attacked
Police in Barcelona say they have arrested seven people on suspicion of attacking cars that work with ride-hailing apps like Uber and Cabify as part of a protest by taxi drivers. The attacks occurred Friday night after taxi drivers announced an indefinite strike protesting a regional government plan to regulate the ride-hailing services that they argued was too lax. Catalan public television showed images of protesters trashing cars allegedly used by app-hailing services. One group reportedly smashed a car's windows while the driver was inside. Emergency services said they treated a driver after he suffered an anxiety attack when his car was attacked by a group of men. Taxi drivers are continuing to block a major street in downtown Barcelona on Saturday.
Shatrughan an opportunist, will take cognisance of his presence at oppn rally: BJP
The BJP Saturday said the party will take "cognisance" of its MP Shatrughan Sinha's presence at the united opposition rally against the Narendra Modi government and termed the actor-turned-politician an "opportunist." Sinha, a former Union minister and a disgruntled BJP MP from Patna, attended the rally in Kolkata organised by TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee where he reportedly spoke against Modi and the BJP-led government at the Centre. Addressing a press conference at the party office here, BJP's national spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy described Sinha as an "opportunist" and said he was in the party to enjoy the perks of being an MP, but at the same time seen making different voices at various platforms. "Sinha has been speaking against the party at various platforms. And it is always important for the BJP to act against such people and the party will take cognisance of it," Rudy said. Taking a dig at Sinha, Rudy said some people are "intelligent in ...
Those stopped from looting public money are forming 'mahagathbandhan': PM
On a day when many opposition parties came together on a common platform in Kolkata, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hit out at their proposed 'mahagathbandhan' or grand alliance, saying it is a combine of those whom he had prevented from "looting" India and it is not against him but people of the country. He took a dig at the opposition rally organised on Saturday by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in Kolkata as well as as at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, without taking her name, saying the BJP has only one MLA in the state, "but still they are so afraid of us that they are saying 'bachao' (save us)". "The 'mahagathbandhan' or grand alliance is not against Narendra Modi but people of India," Modi said while addressing a public function at Silvassa, the capital of the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, after laying a foundation stone for a medical college. "My actions against corruption made some people angry as I prevented them from looting public money. They have ...
'Delhi mein sarkar badal do': Mamata's war cry at opposition rally
Issuing a war cry 'Delhi mein sarkar badal do' (change the government at the Centre), Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee Saturday asserted that the "expiry date" of the Modi government is over and a united opposition will win the coming general elections. Addressing an opposition rally at Brigade Parade Grounds here called by her, she also promised to work together along with other opposition parties. Who will be the prime minister will be decided after the polls, she said. Claiming that BJP's days at the Centre are numbered, she told the mammoth gathering that the "expiry date of the Modi government is over". Criticising the BJP, she said, "There is courtesy in politics, but BJP does not follow it. Those who are not with BJP are called thieves." Banerjee also claimed that the BJP does not give respect to many of its own senior leaders and people like Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj and Nitin Gadkari are ignored in the saffron party. "Modi and his associates are now talking of ..
Anti-BJP rally: PM afraid of united Opposition, says Stalin
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president MK Stalin on Saturday claimed that the upcoming Lok Sabha polls would be the country's second fight for Independence and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was fearful of the powrer of an united Opposition."Wherever Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going he is fiercely attacking the Opposition. Modi is fearful of the Opposition which is why he is also cursing us. He is afraid of our unity and we must come together to safeguard India," he said while addressing the mega opposition rally organised by West Bengal Chief Minister here.Joining contention with Stalin, Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said the ruling NDA government has "institutionalised hatred and indecisiveness.""We don't think that in past seven decades we have ever witnessed the politics of vengeance that we are seeing today. This government has institutionalised hatred and indecisiveness," he said."The Income Tax department had sent notices to Tejashwi Yadav after his father Lalu ...